Tossing out a few Orioles questions during the lockout

Pitchers and catchers report today to minor league camp, but the Orioles should be hosting the Pirates this afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium. It says so on the original Grapefruit League schedule.

The lockout has forced the cancellation of at least 10 games.

Major League Baseball announced on Friday that games were wiped out through March 7, with three more dates tagged onto the first update. A new collective bargaining agreement must be in place for teams to play on March 8.

The Orioles have their only off-day on March 8 before split-squad games the following day at home against the Tigers and in Port Charlotte against the Rays. Could they find an opponent to fill the void? Is that allowed?

So many questions, so much downtime.

This is the Orioles' 13th spring training in Sarasota after moving out of Fort Lauderdale. More than one million fans have attended games at Ed Smith Stadium. They'd like to keep coming, but they must wait for a resolution.

You say you want a resolution? Well, you know, we all want to change the word coming from Jupiter.

It's gonna be all right.

The shopping list that executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias carried before the sport shut down probably remains in its original form. He signed Shed Long Jr. to a minor league deal earlier this month, but a second leg surgery in October could prevent the former 12th-round draft pick from competing for a job in spring training. He signed catcher Andres Angulo last weekend, but the move doesn't satisfy the need for another veteran in major league camp.

I'm hesitant to offer any assurances with the sport in such an uncertain state and the potential impact beyond lost games. I have a couple of questions beyond the March 8 situation.

* Will the Orioles really sign another veteran starting pitcher, the usual minor league contract with a spring training invite, or keep the rotation competition within the family?

The expectation is that they're going to bring in at least one more arm - or, better yet, the entire body - on a low-risk deal. Maybe there's another Matt Harvey or Wade LeBlanc who breaks camp with them. Maybe it turns into another Félix Hernández, who never made it out of Florida - at least until the Orioles released him. He wasn't trapped.

If multiple starters from a group that includes Bruce Zimmermann, Keegan Akin, Dean Kremer, Alexander Wells, Zac Lowther and Mike Baumann outpitch the newcomer, the Orioles can reward them and move on from their minor league deal. Prospects won't be blocked.

There's also the chance to flip him at the trade deadline, as they did with Tommy Milone, but that plan has failed more than it's been executed.

The in-house guys have minor league options remaining - Akin and Kremer are down to their last - so the Orioles aren't pressed to make decisions on them in 2022. However, they could decide that it needs to be done now. Who is part of the rebuild moving forward, especially for the rotation. Who can remain standing when top pitching prospects like Grayson Rodriguez, DL Hall and Kyle Bradish are promoted.

The team isn't eyeing the postseason this summer. There really isn't a wrong approach. It's just a choice.

Do they want a veteran who's perhaps better equipped to supply innings, especially with the latest disruption to spring training, or do they worry less about workloads at this stage of the younger pitchers' careers?

* Is the willingness waning to sign a catcher to a major league contract?

I've reported that the Orioles aren't limiting their search to minor league free agents. The lockout prohibits major league deals, but the club's plans appeared only to be put on hold.

I don't know whether that's changed.

Other catchers could become available after the 40-man roster freeze. Players could hit waivers. They could hit the market.

The current list of major league free agents, as provided by MLBTradeRumors.com, is whittled to the following:

Robinson Chirinos (37)
Grayson Greiner (29)
Wilson Ramos (34)
Austin Romine (33)
Chance Sisco (27)
Kevan Smith (34)
Kurt Suzuki (38)
Austin Wynns (31)

Sisco isn't a likely alternative after the Orioles designated him for assignment last summer and the Mets claimed him on waivers.

The Orioles want a veteran who can mentor Adley Rutschman and serve as a placeholder if baseball's No. 1 prospect returns to Triple-A Norfolk in April. They signed Jacob Nottingham and Anthony Bemboom to minor league contracts, and could offer at least one more.

They aren't done addressing their catching depth, but a more aggressive and expensive approach may have softened. We'll find out eventually.